Lowry qualifies for US Open

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Shane Lowry won the 36-hole qualifying event at Walton Heath to book his spot in next month’s US Open at Pinehurst.

Just a day after finishing runner-up to Rory McIlroy in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Irishman underlined his good form by carding rounds of 69 on the new course and 67 on the old course to clinch one of the 14 qualifying places from the 105-man event.

“It was really tough out there,” said Lowry, who at 125/1 with Paddy Power for the US Open might just worth a sneaky punt.

“I played okay and putted really, really well. I holed a lot of six to eight footers for par and carried a lot of momentum in from yesterday to get the job done.

“I just tried to play steady from there and not lose my head. It was tough last week and then 36 holes in this weather was very tough.

“Majors are where I want to be playing. Last week I was comfortable competing down the stretch with the likes of Thomas Bjorn, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, so I’ve got a lot of confidence and I’ll take that with me to Pinehurst.”

There was disappointment for Padraig Harrington, however, who failed to qualify.

Rounds of 75 and 71 did not prove good enough for the three-time major champion, though he remained upbeat despite the disappointment.

“Definitely it wasn’t good, but I’m certainly putting that down to just a little bit of fatigue, it’s been a long couple of weeks.

“I’m really positive about things, trying to to stay confident. Probably the most important thing is trying to stay upbeat and let it happen.”

Others to secure automatic qualification on Monday included Simon Griffiths, Graeme Storm, Niclas Fasth, Marcel Siem, Max Kieffer, Garth Mulroy, Shiv Kapur and Brooks Koepka.

Six other players had to compete in a play-off for the four remaining spots. English duo Oliver Fisher and Tom Lewis, plus Andrea Pavan and Lucas Bjerregaard sealed their spots, meaning Morten Madsen and Danny Willett had to be content with alternate places.

You can check out all the latest US Open betting odds at Paddy Power.

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